Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight fight with Dillian Whyte scheduled for next week has been put off, promoters Matchroom Boxing said on Saturday. Whyte’s random dope test is said to have returned “adverse analytical findings”.
The pugilists had been due to meet at London’s O2 Arena on 12th August in a rematch of their 2015 bout, won by Joshua at the same venue.
In a statement, Matchroom said that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association had informed it and the sanctioning bodies that Whyte “returned adverse analytical findings as part of a random anti-doping protocol.
“In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted”.
Whyte lost a title challenge to WBC world champion Tyson Fury in April 2022. Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.
The outcome of the Joshua vs Whyte fight could have put either fighter in the frame for a lucrative clash with former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Source: Reuters
